New Car Feedback

The Pallisade and Telluride are awesome vehicles. I was just looking at them as my wife needed a new car. She loves Toyota, so she ended up with a highlander, but the Telluride and Pallisade are much better vehicles. You can actually use the back row with adults, and with captains chairs in the second row it is easy to access. Just an awesome ride, lots of power and quiet inside.
 
I did the same thing with my 06 with my wife parked it next to so many other vehicles and said OK now how is this bigger or better. van is fine for our needs. Wife takes great care of it and its only got 130k. Told here make fake payments to a savings account until the ody blows up!
The way we sold our 2013 was a guy contacted me and said, "When you sell it, let me know." Great vehicles, Honda still tries to engineer in some driver engagement.
 
The way we sold our 2013 was a guy contacted me and said, "When you sell it, let me know." Great vehicles, Honda still tries to engineer in some driver engagement.
Dont know anything about driver engagement, I need to get whete Im going. Good tires,brakes and comfy seat is all I need
 
Welp... it looks like my 2005 Highlander needs more parts than it's worth to pass inspection, so the wife and I are looking for a 3 row SUV.

Looking at the VW Atlas, and the wonder twins Palisade/ Telluride.

We have 2 kids(for now) and 2 large dogs so we need the space.

Any feedback or experience with any of the three?

Baaaaad idea looking at a VW if you want reliable and cheap to maintain. Durango's are nice, Chevy traverse's are great, look at truck based toyota's, tahoe, etc. Stay away from the small car based crossovers, they are all nothing but headaches, the drivetrains and chassis are not built for the weight a 3rd row suv can cart around constantly moving a family.
 
I love my 10 year old Tacoma, but maintenance of this has been very costly. Everything about it costs about 2X what the same repair would cost on a sedan or small SUV. And, it keeps needing repairs that I just never have needed on other cars. Why am I having so many O2 sensors replaced and why do they cost so much? How many times do I have to have wheel bearings, universals and parts of the steering replaced? Last fall, I had all of the steering replaced.

Oh right, and this week they said the front shocks must be replaced for $1200. Why so much? So, $2400 for all of them?? I said no.

You're just getting ripped off by your mechanic, very badly ripped off.
 
Welp. Spent the weekend test driving different cars. Got the wife to test drive a minvan - a Sienna .... but she is so anti-van its not even funny. We didn't bother testing the Telluride/Pallisade as they are selling at/over MSRP due to demand.

She Really liked the look of the Atlas in our research. Its very spacious but we did not like the ride AT ALL. The firm suspension plus 20" wheels made for a harsh ride. It had a hard time merging on the highway and the transmission seemed to be hunting for certain gears.

This morning we test drove an Ascent and my wife was instantly in love. Turbo had plenty of power merging at highway speeds, overtaking etc- and the fit/finish was well above the VW. Yes, its a little smaller but I still fit in all 3 rows at 6'. So it was way more than we wanted to spend, but it ticked all the boxes.

So you went with the Ascent?
That thing looks pretty sweet, it would be one of my top choices too if I were in your shoes, which I pretty much am.
 
For example, the coil pack on my 12-valve VR6 had to be replaced. As they got a few years old, the coil pack resin would crack, allowing moisture inside. This was common enough that you could find DIY advice on the Internet about how to fix coil pack using JB Weld.
Oh boy do I remember doing the DIY coil pack fix on my 2000 Jetta VR6. I also recall a leaky sunroof, blowing through multiple starters, and a leaking rear view mirror - yes you read that right. The liquid inside the mirror (probably for the anti-glare feature?) started leaking out of the mirror and dripping onto the dash. Not to mention a slew of costly electrical problems.
 
I'm looking at VeeDub right now BUT I am going to be ON ITS ASS. Everything by the book. No shortcuts. And I plan to self-educate like a mad-man.
My GTI was maintained by the book. That’s another VW myth - that people who have problems with them didn’t maintain them.
 
The MKIV was, indeed, particularly bad. I still have a hard time trusting VW.
I cant blame you. I would feel the same way had my experience been the same. I only had one MK4 (2003 wolfsburg jetta). I only owned it for about a year. I went thru 4 sets of front wheel bearings in that time. I found out later that the car had been in a bad accident and had the "frame straightened". I sold it asap.
 
I like Subarus, have had 3 cars and one pickup from them. None of them gave me any issues that were out of the ordinary and I beat the WRX and STi pretty good. The Impreza and Sambar were also rock solid. My Sambar was a 1990 with ~50,000 miles on it and it ran awesome.

They are doing something right. Only problem is none of their cars are big enough for what I'd want for a family mobile.
 
I like Subarus, have had 3 cars and one pickup from them. None of them gave me any issues that were out of the ordinary and I beat the WRX and STi pretty good. The Impreza and Sambar were also rock solid. My Sambar was a 1990 with ~50,000 miles on it and it ran awesome.

They are doing something right. Only problem is none of their cars are big enough for what I'd want for a family mobile.
Are head gaskets an issue with Subaru’s? Or is that only an issue when WRX folks start messing with the tune?
 
Are head gaskets an issue with Subaru’s? Or is that only an issue when WRX folks start messing with the tune?
The opposite. Turbocharged 2.5's rarely have issues.

The most common head gasket recipient is 2.5L Outbacks. They are often loaded to the gills, so that 2.5 is working awfully hard. Because it's a flat four you have to replace two head gaskets, not one. We replaced them, preemptively, at 140,000 miles on the last 4 we owned. Since then we purchased two 6 cyclinders, the older of which has 238,000 miles and runs great. The 6 cylinder also had a much more sophisticated AWD system and a 5EAT, but a lot of Subaru buyers pay cash so they buy the 4's.
 
This morning we test drove an Ascent and my wife was instantly in love. Turbo had plenty of power merging at highway speeds, overtaking etc- and the fit/finish was well above the VW. Yes, its a little smaller but I still fit in all 3 rows at 6'. So it was way more than we wanted to spend, but it ticked all the boxes.

Make sure you get a 2020, since I've heard they're having some issues with the new turbo engine.

I tried to get my wife to go for an Ascent but she's leaning toward a 5 seater. I also like the center console better than the new Outback, which has the Telsa-style 11" screen - I think that's rather stupid.
 
This.

My 2003 Tacoma (yes, not quite the same) over the years has needed one A/C condenser due to corrosion ($100), one rear O2 sensor ($120), one A/F sensor (preemptive replacement $100), one muffler ($490), and one lower ball joint other than the standard brakes/rotors/drums. I do most of the work myself. The dealer did the muffler as the truck was there for the frame inspection/coating. I farmed out the ball joints. I had the shop replace all four while they were in there as they were all the same vintage. Total bill for that was around $750.

I did replace the shocks because they probably needed it. $350 or so and an afternoon.

Now, I did have a dealer quote me a muffler $1200 (part is $385 and 45 minutes labor), ball joints ($1200 total), they told me the oil pan was "rusting out" (it isn't), the steering rack was rotted out (it isn't), my tail light was cracked (it isn't), and several other things that were simply not true.

If you are going to almost any of the dealers around here, I think that might be your problem. So far I have found almost all to be... questionable.
Make sure you get a 2020, since I've heard they're having some issues with the new turbo engine.

I tried to get my wife to go for an Ascent but she's leaning toward a 5 seater. I also like the center console better than the new Outback, which has the Telsa-style 11" screen - I think that's rather stupid.
Got the 2020.
 
Are head gaskets an issue with Subaru’s? Or is that only an issue when WRX folks start messing with the tune?

I havent had one go yet. My STi had ~120,000+ miles on it when I sold it. It was still on the original clutch [rofl]

The STi did appear to have a failing drive shaft though. Never found out for sure since I sold it shortly after symptoms appeared. But still, the car was 9 years old at that point and had miles on it and wasnt driven very gently.

I did have a Subaru dealer tell me that the STi had a head gasket leak. Brought it elsewhere turned out the oil cooler was leaking. This was also post 105,000 miles into the car.

I didnt own the WRX or Sambar long enough for problems to show up.

The Impreza is a few years old. mechanically it seems sound. My biggest gripe with it is the infotainment system, which is a colossal piece of shit. its so bad its subject to a safety recall. [rofl]
 
Hyundai Santafe still has one with 3 rows. I believe this is the last year they will make them. They have good financing deals.

Last time I checked they had 60 months 0%.
 
Welp. Spent the weekend test driving different cars. Got the wife to test drive a minvan - a Sienna .... but she is so anti-van its not even funny. We didn't bother testing the Telluride/Pallisade as they are selling at/over MSRP due to demand.

She Really liked the look of the Atlas in our research. Its very spacious but we did not like the ride AT ALL. The firm suspension plus 20" wheels made for a harsh ride. It had a hard time merging on the highway and the transmission seemed to be hunting for certain gears.

This morning we test drove an Ascent and my wife was instantly in love. Turbo had plenty of power merging at highway speeds, overtaking etc- and the fit/finish was well above the VW. Yes, its a little smaller but I still fit in all 3 rows at 6'. So it was way more than we wanted to spend, but it ticked all the boxes.
Subaru is a solid choice. I have an outback and it's a beast in the snow. It's all about keeping them safe. Personally I found the steering wheel both too small and too fat in areas leaving me no place to grab it comfortably. We just went through this as my wife's pilot was totalled. We just bought a new 2019 pilot for below invoice. Very nimble, nicely appointed and drives like a car. I'll also say I had an Odyssey for 14 years and it is hands down the best vehicle for any young family..no contest
 
It's hard to make a worse financial transaction than buying a brand new car. I'd look for a used Toyota. Either an off-lease or just a two or three year old vehicle with service records. You save a fortune and you'll get a car that's just as good.
 
It's hard to make a worse financial transaction than buying a brand new car. I'd look for a used Toyota. Either an off-lease or just a two or three year old vehicle with service records. You save a fortune and you'll get a car that's just as good.

What's a 2-3 year old Toyota going to save you, 25%? You're gonna get a 10-15% discount on a new one, and you don't risk getting someone's lemon, or one someone didn't change the oil cause they knew it was a lease.

Buy high resale cars like Toyotas, Subarus or Hondas new. Or 10 years old. You won't save much buying one that's 2-3 years old especially if it's out of warranty already. Dealers make a ton of money on those.
 
I rented a VW Atlas for a week a couple of weeks ago, and I thought it was just "ok". FYI, Toyota has a brand new, totally re-designed Highlander coming in 2020. If I were in the market for a three row SUV, though, I'd probably be seriously looking at the Mazda CX9, which is, in my opinion, quite sharp looking. But since I no longer need a third row, I'm now leaning toward getting a Jaguar F Pace (not that that helps YOU at all).


Frank
the only real problem with highlander was the gas mileage, which is 21 mpg on the highway on a good day. IF the redesigned one gets at least 26...its would be hard to beat.
 
the only real problem with highlander was the gas mileage, which is 21 mpg on the highway on a good day. IF the redesigned one gets at least 26...its would be hard to beat.
If you don’t need three rows, the new RAV4 Hybrid is getting glowing reviews and gets near 40 mpg.

The Highlander Hybrid is in the high 20s.
 
//Buy high resale cars like Toyotas, Subarus or Hondas new. Or 10 years old. You won't save much buying one that's 2-3 years old especially if it's out of warranty already. Dealers make a ton of money on those.
We bought a 3 yo off-lease Subaru 3.6R. It was $12,000 less than new with 35,000 miles. The drivetrain warranty is 5 years/60,000 miles so we didn't see much downside to that choice.
 
It's hard to make a worse financial transaction than buying a brand new car. I'd look for a used Toyota. Either an off-lease or just a two or three year old vehicle with service records. You save a fortune and you'll get a car that's just as good.
This is highly dependent of the money you save and the miles on the vehicle?
 
Does it have the same "AWD" system as the other RAV4's, that shuts itself off at 25mph?
I don't know. Manufacturers are pretty cagey about the specifics of their AWD systems. I believe that the new 2020 RAV4 has two entirely new AWD systems. I believe it has one system for its basic gas models (which is supposed to be more capable than previous versions) and a different one for the hybrid.
 
It's hard to make a worse financial transaction than buying a brand new car. I'd look for a used Toyota. Either an off-lease or just a two or three year old vehicle with service records. You save a fortune and you'll get a car that's just as good.
I think that is very dependent upon the vehicle. Luxury vehicles in particular (like Mercedes, BMW, and Audi) depreciate very heavily, so you can save a lot if you buy a 2-year-old CPO. That said, owning a German luxury car outside of the warranty period can be hard on your wallet, but that's a different matter.

For some Toyota and Honda vehicles, you don't save that much buying a 2-year-old car.
 
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